I Am The Swarm

Iphieash the Infinite Evolution Insect.

When adequately fueled, they can adapt to harsh environments through rapid evolution, ensuring their survival.

But what if a bug’s constant melancholy and desire for death compromised this evolutionary drive? Could Luo Wen’s current optimism be linked to his ability to evolve?

Luo Wen didn’t know and didn’t care to think about it deeply. One way or another, he had quickly and naturally accepted his new identity in a short amount of time.

More importantly, he had already begun taking proactive steps to improve his quality of life.

For instance, instead of returning to his original path after eating his fill, Luo Wen chose to dig deeper underground to construct a new nest.

With the help of his newly evolved rake-like appendages, he could burrow into a denser layer of soil further below, where the earth was more compact and structurally sound, reducing the risk of collapses.

In just half a day, he excavated a chamber roughly the size of a ping-pong ball. Given that his body was smaller than a fingernail, the room felt quite spacious. He lined the floor with dry sand and stones to keep the ground from becoming damp, though he wasn’t sure if insects could get arthritis.

Once his new home was complete, Luo Wen dug several connected tunnels leading to it. Some served as main entrances, while others were emergency escape routes. These pathways interlinked, and their entrances were sealed with dirt, making it difficult for any intruders to find them.

Additionally, he dug out a separate area as a latrine, far from his main chamber. A long passageway connected it, lined with soft sand to block any odors from wafting back.

This effort seemed excessive, considering Luo Wen hadn’t relieved himself since his “birth.”

Lying in his cozy new chamber, Luo Wen began contemplating his “bug life.”

From his observations, it was clear that he possessed remarkable evolutionary abilities. However, the mechanism behind this evolution and its limitations remained unclear.

So far, he had experienced only one obvious evolution, and there might have been others more subtle that he hadn’t noticed yet. More time and data would be needed to uncover the full extent of his abilities.

However, he didn’t know how much time he had. From his limited knowledge of entomology, he was aware that most insects didn’t live very long.

Even though his species sounded impressive, he hadn’t been given a manual at “manufacturing” to confirm how long he could survive.

Moreover, this wasn’t Earth, and he wasn’t an Earth species. The knowledge from his old world might not even apply here.

After much thought, he ended up where he started—without enough information, everything was just speculation.

Still, he recalled his previous trip to the surface. While he couldn’t measure the temperature precisely, it had definitely been below freezing. He had spent a fair amount of time outside, even drinking lots of cold liquid, yet aside from some discomfort, he had bounced back after a nap without any ill effects.

If an insect on Earth endured such conditions, it would likely end up partially paralyzed. This suggested that his current situation couldn’t be measured by Earthly standards—especially given his patchy and dubious knowledge.

Having exhausted his train of thought, Luo Wen managed to kill some time through pure imagination.

In his previous life, Luo Wen had been inseparable from his phone. Reading, browsing videos—anything to pass the time. Now, without such distractions, he found the hours unbearably slow and realized he needed to find new activities.

No sooner had he thought this than he acted. After a moment of consideration, Luo Wen decided to eat again. He had worked hard moving to his new home and needed to celebrate with something good.

With the reluctant help of his “tool bug,” Luo Wen soon had his fill. But once again, boredom set in.

Not wanting to rest just yet, he decided to dig along the root he’d been feeding on, curious to see where it led. During his previous trips to the surface, he hadn’t noticed any vegetation—partly due to his extreme nearsightedness. His curiosity about what desert plants on this alien planet might look like drove him forward.

Following the root, Luo Wen discovered more of the white grubs’ siblings along the way. From the looks of it, they were a large family. Luo Wen felt no envy; numbers didn’t matter when they were all just a bunch of foolish “tool bugs.”

The path sloped upward gradually, and Luo Wen had no idea how long he had been digging when he encountered a much thicker root. It turned out the previous root was merely a lateral offshoot.

As he continued, more roots branched out, their numbers increasing until they became a dense network of large roots spreading into unknown regions.

The temperature around him rose steadily. Fine, thread-like roots began to appear, distinctly different from the larger ones.

As he dug upward, the surroundings grew brighter—it seemed to be daytime above. Having already experienced one day-night cycle, Luo Wen could now estimate the time based on the light levels underground.

Slowing his pace, Luo Wen became more alert, his fine hairs standing on end as he cautiously scanned his surroundings. Underground, his digging speed gave him a clear advantage. On the surface, however, even a fingernail-sized opponent might overwhelm him.

Near his new home, soil at this depth had already transitioned to sandy layers. Here, however, possibly due to the dense root network, the soil remained compacted, without any signs of sandification.

This layer presented new dangers. Through vibrations in the ground, Luo Wen could sense numerous hollow tunnels surrounding him. These were more intricate than the passages he had constructed at his home. Within them, he detected movements and sounds of unknown creatures.

Carefully avoiding these passages, Luo Wen continued his slow ascent. Finally, after breaking through a shallow layer of sandy soil, he reached the surface.

It was indeed daytime. Beside him stood a cluster of massive weeds, with more scattered around. Most of their leaves had withered and yellowed. It seemed the fine roots he had seen earlier belonged to these plants.

In the distance loomed a colossal tree. By Luo Wen’s rough estimate, it would take hundreds of him linking arms to encircle the trunk.

This excursion yielded several revelations. First, Luo Wen discovered he wasn’t nocturnal; in daylight, he could see as far as five or six meters. It seemed his repeated wish not to be nearsighted had been granted—his vision had improved significantly.

Still, it wasn’t enough. The towering tree, for instance, was mostly a blur. He could only make out part of it. Details like its height, leaves, flowers, or fruit remained beyond his sight. Clearly, his vision still had room for evolution.

Secondly, Luo Wen noticed that he wasn’t as affected by heat as before. Whether this was due to increased heat resistance or the shade of the tree remained to be seen. He made a mental note to find a sunny spot later for comparison.

Finally, he discovered the owners of the underground tunnels. Among the weeds, several ant-like creatures appeared. They were yellowish-brown, with round heads, long antennae, six slender legs, and disproportionately large, hook-like mandibles that were half their body size—distinctly menacing.

These creatures surrounded Luo Wen in an unfriendly manner. Using the small pores on his rear as a makeshift “gut instinct,” Luo Wen guessed they weren’t here to welcome him.

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